Synopses
Where the Rubber Meets the Road:
World Vision and the Marine Corps
work security together

By Robin Hayden

In November 1999, on the dusty, keawe-covered terrain of Makaha, Hawaii, World Vision conducted a weeklong workshop in security training for humanitarian aid workers from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) whose staff serve in insecure environments. Facilitated by the Center of Excellence, the US Marines Forces of the Pacific (MARFORPAC) worked hand-in-hand with World Vision to augment each day’s lectures with afternoon scenarios designed to give the international group of participant relief workers immediate practical experience in the concepts presented in the morning clas. The proceedings were very positive for both the relief workers and the Marines. The future bodes well for further collaborations of this nature, with the workshop taking its spot as a benchmark for similar efforts by other NGOs.

Out of the Traditional Classroom:
Safe learning about security

By Robin Hayden

A first-hand, eyewitness account of one green convoy’s trek through a simulated insecure environment, in an exercise designed and overseen by World Vision, with field assistance and education provided by MARFORPAC staff.

The Asia-Specific Information Analysis (ASIA) is a tool developed collaboratively between the Center of Excellence and Virtual Research Associates (VRA). Originally concepted by Dr. Doug Bond and his associates at Harvard University as Protocol for the Assessment of Nonviolent Direct Action (PANDA), ASIA focuses on global real-time monitoring of events which can assist analysts, researchers, consultants, and advisors in making transparent the social, political, economic and cultural costs of conflict and violence. In a world increasingly torn apart by local conflicts that can escalate rapidly into regional or even hemispheric proportions, ASIA provides a tool for analyzing the possibilities for impending violence and radical change.

Defining the Mission:
A conversation with
APCSS President Henry Stackpole

By Robin Hayden

Henry C. Stackpole, a retired Marine lieutenant general, speaks about security from his current position as president of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), an academic institution dedicated to “enhancing cooperation and building relationships” among military and civilian representatives of the United States and other Asia-Pacific nations. President Stackpole emphasizes how his organization deals with the non-warfighting aspects of security—the deterrence rather than the execution of war. He further postulates that nations need to rely more on technology and human communication rather than the force of numbers to secure a safe world.

Women on Assignment:
Do your security homework

By LTC Patricia Hastings, Dr. Thomas Ditzler and COL Samuel Heth

With the increase of women—both civilian and military—assigned to insecure environments in response to humanitarian emergencies all over the world, the standards of personal security must be addressed with added sensitivity to issues specific to their gender. It comes down to a mixture of common sense, increased awareness, and observing the established protocols of force protection already long familiar to military personnel on the brink of deployment. Here is a pared-down-to-the-bones, quick reference to security issues for the ladies.